It’s not Ferrari, but it will do just fine: The Hot Wheels Exotics 5-pack…

Isn’t it about this time of the year that the new Ferrari 5-pack always came out?

I think fall is normally the right time, but obviously we won’t see one this year. So whether or not the Exotics 5-pack was released to fill that void, I have no idea. What I do know is this pack is a must-have.

And there are a lot of reasons why. That Pagani Huayra in white is one.

I am sure there is a good reason for it, but I have no idea why Hot Wheels and Matchbox seem to be so afraid of plain white cars with black rims. It is probably something to do with how a simple black and white model might not jump out on the pegs, and they are convinced it won’t grab anyone’s attention. But darn if that Pagani isn’t the sharpest model in the set.

The Pagani hasn’t really grabbed my attention in the past, but this one surely has. There is no need to keep any other HW Huayras in the collection. This one will surely suffice.

But maybe the whole “no white-over-black” argument is proven by the bright green Porsche. As sharp as the Pagani is, it is the green 911 GT2 that catches your eye.

I love the color, love the gold rims, and the design is nice. It is also great to see tail light tampos. Unlike the Pagani, I will collect every version of this casting, so this is an automatic in. There are quite a few HW 911 GT2 versions I like better than this one, but I am happy to see a new version.

That leaves three other models. The Alfa Romeo 8C and Lamborghini Aventador J are both very nice, but maybe the surprisingly, the best model of the entire pack might be the Lotus Esprit.

It is the oldest casting of the five, and it has been an afterthought in other previous packs, but when it dresses to the nines, it shines. Just look at it. Black with gold trim and lace wheels suits it very, very well. In fact, it really brings this casting to light. While it was current when it was first released, this model now has a bit of a retro edge to it. I have a feeling this might rekindle a little interest in this model. It would make a great Super TH some day.

It is very rare that I like a HW 5-pack enough to buy it. It is even more rare to like all 5 models. This is one of those rare occasions…

The Lotus is easily the best of the bunch. I'm happy they brought it back.

If Mattel wants their cars to jump out, they should do bright colours with little to no decals. With all the goofy flashy tampo designs they put on almost every car, plain colours stand out way more now.

I'm not satisfied with the line-up. Every year they do a Exotics pack and re-use a car from one of the previous packs. The Lotus was used in 2011 and 13, and now they're using it again. I am also not happy with the Aventador J. They used an Aventador just last year and before that, the Reventon two times in a row (with One-77). And if you pay attention, you will see that the Aventador J has the same racing stripe as last year's Aventador. There are dozens of other “exotics” they could have used – McLaren P1, Jaguar XJ220, Bentley Continental Supersports, Saleen S7, Koenigsegg Agera, Ford GT LM…. I can go on.

It seems as if Hot Wheels is hellbent on repeating at least one car from last 1 or 2 year's pack. I strongly think they should have used a different model instead of the Esprit, even if it was another Lotus like the GT4 or Elise. And I would prefer to see a Gallardo or Murcielago over the Aventador.

But it seems I am in the minority and most of the people enjoy seeing repeated cars. So I'll just ignore the Esprit and Aventador and concentrate on the brilliant Huayra and GT2! Man, have they nailed these two! The Esprit looks good but could do without the yellow stripes. The Lamborghini isn't my cup of tea so doesn't matter how it looks. The Alfa does look good but the Pagani and Porsche steal the show.

what i dont get is why does the gt2 still has the separate plastic spoiler but the GT3 RS doesnt? also the spoiler of the esprit is ugly, basically they made the casting ugly by not making the spoiler hollow abd connected to the body, also do they put the spoiler together to save time on making the casting?

Found one today at Target after some bare pegs almost made me think that I'd have to wait for it to come out until I found just one left. Of course it was left behind because the Huayra had silver streaks on the right-front fender.

After a little of nail polish, a Q-tip, and careful rubbing to not rub too much of the paint off I was able to get the silver off the fender. While I was at it I also used a black Sharpie to eliminate the chrome ring on the Alfa's wheels to give it the same blacked-out look like the Huayra.

The pack looks good: The Huyara is the best in white with blacked-out wheels even though I think the casting still looks “unfinished”. The 911 GT2 is one of my favorites as well and the green with gold 5-spoke wheels are nice. The Esprit looks classy in black with gold lace wheels, and yes it has been retooled with a metal rear spoiler that is less noticeable in black paint (I do find it ironic that despite the retooled rear spoiler effect going on with other castings to save costs and satisfy safety regs. the 911 GT2 that I had in this pack has a spoiler that was easy to remove from the back!), though sadly they did get rid of the V8 badge near the right-side taillight during the retool. Once it had full blacked-out wheels the Alfa also looks good as well. The only casting I could care less is the Aventador J: It's ok in the design department but it sits too high and the only time it ever appealed to me was the yellow recolor from 2014.

AWESOME! Way better than the last 5 pack. The Alfa looks great with blacked out wheels w/chrome lip and looks great w/blacked out (carbon) hood also. The Lotus is a nice addition, considering this will be my first Espirit from the last generation – nice gold lace wheels with black paint.The Pagani looks nice w/10SP's no matter what, but blacked out w/white.. less is more. Have to see the Porsche up close to appreciate it. Great collection.